With Halloween approaching quickly, The Post talked to students about the best ways to party.
Blaring music seeps through the cracks of the house along with the muddled voices of guests. Cups or bottles in hand, people mingle together in a sea of bodies. Some are dancing. Others are swaying their hips to the beat. Friends huddle with friends and observe the scene. A line for the bathroom spans the whole upper floor.
Playboy ranked Ohio University the No. 1 party school because of its “year-round antics,” including fests and Halloween. In 2012, The Huffington Post ranked the Athens Halloween Block Party the third “craziest college party.”
Athens parties aren’t limited to fest and Halloween weekends.
“I would say any reason (to party) is a good reason,” Alex Gribler, a senior studying organizational communication, said.
The Post looked into what students think is the best way to celebrate Bobcat style.
Where to party
Mill Street and other popular fest streets are hyped as good party streets, according to Haley Luedeke, a senior studying child and family studies.
Bigger houses that are closer to the bars make for a great locations, Alex Gribler, who lives on North Congress Street, said.
If the party is too far away, most people will not make the trek there, according to Grant Johnson, a senior studying voice and audio production, so house parties closer to Court Street and Uptown are prime locations. Any party more than a 10-minute walk from Court Street is too far, Max Johnson, senior studying finance, said.
Ashley Tucciarone, a junior studying communication, said any house located near a huge hill is a “bad location.”
Party space, in terms of room for guests to move around, matters, as well.
“I think houses are a lot more fun than apartments,” Sydney Dotterman, who lives on Mill Street, said. “There is more room, which obviously means more people.”
Who to party with
There can’t be a party without people, and the level of gatekeeping can vary based on the party thrower and the type of party.
“We never have a guest list, but a lot of times we try to minimize the amount of people we don’t know,” senior Max Johnson said.
Yet, Scotty Geuther, a senior studying specialized studies, said opening one’s home creates the opportunity to meet and make new friends.
Having older people at a party is helpful, according to Jordan Veil, a freshman studying biology, because they know what they are doing and how to party.
Sydney Dotterman, a junior studying psychology and mathematical statistics, suggested creating ground rules for informing invited guests if they are allowed to pass along the invitation to others. She also said the nature of some streets render guest lists pointless.
“When living on Mill Street, it is almost a given that if you have a big party, randoms will walk up to your house and most likely into your house if you don't assign someone to watch the door,” she said. “Assigning someone to watch the door ultimately would ruin the fun for one of the hosts, so focusing on a guest list in Athens is basically useless.”
Dotterman cautioned that the more people that come, the bigger the possible mess to clean up later.
What to provide
Not every party requires alcohol, but junior Sydney Dotterman said it can be nice to provide drinks for others. She provided the alcohol for her party, describing it as a “celebration for everyone.”
“It made it easier for them to enjoy time without having to worry about bringing alcohol and then keeping an eye on it while they were at our house,” Dotterman said.
Senior Alex Gribler said she only provides alcohol for special occasions and suggests making parties BYOB if it is just a regular party.
If alcohol is being provided, having a lot of cups is essential, junior Ashley Tucciarone said.
Senior Grant Johnson said he doesn’t provide alcohol for his parties due to a limited budget.
“I don’t have the money to provide alcohol for an entire party,” he said. “I might have some stuff for my close friends, but not for an entire party.”
Beyond drinks, Ryan Fortcher, a freshman studying athletic training, said it was important for the house to play music to create an appealing atmosphere. Dotterman uses the popular music streaming app Spotify to find music that can play throughout the night.
“Sometimes, when we have people over, we select The CI’s or (The) Crystal’s playlist from Spotify,” Dotterman said. “It is usually pretty up to date and keeps the atmosphere lively.”
Fast-paced, upbeat music is a good idea, Gribler said, as it allows people the ability to dance and have a good time.
Throwbacks and trap music, according to senior Max Johnson, can be good songs.
Senior Haley Luedeke also advised having plenty of toilet paper and soap for guests.
“There is nothing worse than going into a bathroom and having no toilet paper,” she said.
Having enough trash cans and trash bags can also stop guests from throwing trash in places it shouldn’t be, Luedeke said.
Themed or not?
Themed parties are a fun way to get people excited and have a good time, junior Ashley Tucciarone said. Freshman Ryan Fortcher said it is a lot of fun to see the creative ways people dress up for the theme. Although, junior Sydney Dotterman said, themes might create an unpleasant party experience for some.
“If the party was themed, I highly doubt people would dress up,” Dotterman said. “If you set a theme for a party, I think it would discourage people from coming or be awkward for the few who do dress in the theme.”
Senior Scotty Geuther said he thinks themed parties can be fun, but also can be a hassle on the planners’ part.
“I think that it would be a fun idea to have a themed party every once (in) a while but not on a regular basis,” Geuther said. “There is a great deal of planning that goes into a themed party, and can be frustrating in some cases.”
How to advertise
Social media, such as a Facebook event, is an important component because it helps spread the word, senior Scotty Geuther said. Social media also allows people to have a concrete and easily accessible invitation that they can interact with.
Freshman Jordan Veil said he relies on the @ousnap Snapchat account.
“You can see where the parties are happening, and people will post locations,” Veil said.
Sending a text can also provide a simple way to spread the word, and junior Ashley Tucciarone said she is usually invited through text or GroupMe.
Senior Haley Luedeke suggested that simply using word-of-mouth to spread the invite is a good method.
“Sometimes a personal invite can make it seem like the person really wants you to be there,” Luedeke said.
How to not get in trouble
Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle said things such as litter, blocking sidewalks, throwing cans and numerous alcohol violations can cause parties to be shut down.
“Typically, what attracts our attention now is litter and blocking the sidewalks,” Pyle said.
Once police deem the party a nuisance, they have the right to start shutting it down. Police can start by asking attendees to leave, but will alert the owners of the violations once they find them, Pyle said.
In order to avoid violations, Pyle suggests keeping the party small. Large groups of people attract more police detection and can be harder to contain, Pyle said.
“Even the people who hosts those parties will admit after it’s over, ‘(controlling the party was) harder than I thought,’ ” he said.
Watching guests for misbehavior, like fighting, can save a visit from the police, Pyle said. If a guest is getting out of hand, Pyle suggested removing that person from the party and asking for assistance from the police.
“Our staff would rather deal with one problematic person than to allow that one problematic person to piss everyone off (because) then you have 10 problematic people,” he said.
A misconception is that if the police are called for help, they will shut down the party, but Pyle said otherwise.
“We could do that,” he said. “But we see the party hosts trying to maintain their party in an acceptable manner, we’ll work with them.”
If the police do show up, however, Pyle suggested complying with officers and not arguing in the street. The officers aren’t out to get the party throwers, he said.
How the party thrower can have a good time
Throwing a party can be stressful because the host is in charge of looking after the guests, junior Ashley Tucciarone said.
For a host to have a good time, senior Haley Luedeke suggested talking to everyone at the party.
“That way you can … see who is there and also keep an eye on the entire party,” Luedeke said.
Senior Grant Johnson suggested locking rooms and limiting the amount of party space to hinder any unsupervised behavior or illegal activity. Junior Sydney Dotterman suggested locking up valuables in a secure place away from the party.
Probably the most important part of hosting, though, is to just let loose and relax, Tucciarone said.
“Your house is going to get wrecked no matter what, so you might as well enjoy the party,” freshman Ryan Fortcher said.
